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Not surprised that he left for another school but did not consider Columbus as a landing spot.

Mike E., I agree with much of what you said, especially the FIU turf.  It should have been replaced years ago.  Love your Zamboni reference.  I noticed this year a lot of players staying on the ground for a while after tackles.  It appeared the landings were as tough as the tackles.  Since we’re mentioning the FIU turf, wasn’t it ironic the year a team from Dade County failed to win a state title 305 is plastered on it?  I digress.   The great Wavebb and myself discussed this while we were at Drive Pink.  We came to the conclusion that the field was prescription turf that had been rolled out.  If you looked at it closely there appeared to be small divots that were pretty hard to see.  I could be wrong.  @Joshua Wilson would be able to answer that question.  The parking at Drive Pink was a sand pit.  Especially awful was paying $20 a game while waiting in a traffic jam to get in. I was told by a very good source in Tallahassee that FAMU lost the 2nd year of the finals because there were some discrepancies concerning the finances.  Also, there wasn’t much time in between games so the locker rooms needed to be exited fairly quickly and the next team could get in to get ready for their game.  Apparently Aquinas did not care about this and stayed much longer than agreed upon for either Lakeland or Venice who played in the night game.  The night team was very unhappy about it.

Oh, Mike, my fellow gridiron wanderer from the Venice side of the swamp—first off, hats off to you for enduring those last five championships and then this year without your Indians hoisting the hardware. Four years straight in the finals? That's like showing up to the prom with a different date each time, only to watch some other schmoe steal the crown. Me? I've been chasing these state title ghosts longer than I've been dodging bad bets and worse blind dates, and let me tell you, the FHSAA's venue carousel has spun me 'round more times than a roulette wheel in a hurricane—usually with a cold beer in one hand and a losing ticket in the other.Now, you hit on FAMU's Bragg Stadium like it was a one-night stand gone wrong—and brother, you're preaching to the choir. But let's rewind the tape to when I was knee-deep in my FAMU days back in the mid-70s, nursing a cheap beer instead of whatever rotgut the frat boys were guzzling, 'cause even then I knew the right buzz could sharpen the eye for spotting an underdog worth betting on. Picture this: 1976, my first state title tango, the ultimate David-vs-Goliath showdown—Godby versus Carol City down in Lakeland at Bryant Stadium (right next to that baseball gem, Joker Marchant—easy mix-up for an old observer who's had one too many over the decades). Carol City rolled in like a Miami freight train, big and brawny, while Godby's Cougars were the scrappy underdogs: smaller up front, lightning-fast, and gritty as a dirt-road tackle. They ran that wishbone offense like outlaw poetry—triple-option wizardry, pitching the ball till the Chiefs were chasing shadows. Sammy Knight juking like he was dodging alimony, Chris Hobbs bulldozing like a pint-sized freight train himself. Godby pulled the upset 21-15, and I was a fresh-faced Rattler hollering in the stands 'cause those Tallahassee boys had just done the impossible—knocking off Gene Cox's Leon Lions for the first time ever at Capital Stadium (good old natural grass back then, getting gloriously chewed up under the lights).   I got drawn into that Godby run like a moth to a porch light—dorm buddies dragged me to the games, and next thing I know, I'm hitchhiking south with a six-pack riding shotgun and a pocket full of foolish optimism. Bryant Stadium? Beautiful city-maintained grass field, lush and forgiving—perfect for those wishbone cutbacks and dives. Plenty of seating, parking that didn't require a treasure map or a sacrifice to the traffic gods. All-around gem of a high school football venue back in the day. Attendance? Thin as the FHSAA record book shows—folks from Tallahassee weren't driving four hours just to sweat through their shirts unless it was a miracle, and Godby's run was pure divine intervention (helped along by a few post-game celebratory beers).Fast-forward through the decades, and I've bounced around more FHSAA finals venues than a pinball in a tilt-a-whirl. Starting in '89 with the first neutral-site finals at Larry Kelly Field in Daytona Beach (that Bethune-Cookman home turf)—ocean breeze was nice, but the setup? Like watching a symphony in a sardine can. Fans crammed, no room to breathe, and those high-placed hog-wire fences (chain-link so rigid and tall you couldn't switch sides without plotting a prison break) gave the whole thing that classic inmates-vs-guards vibe straight out of the original Longest Yard. Wrong-side loyalists needed a passport to switch allegiances. I lost a bet on a 3A game there, drowned my sorrows in a lukewarm stadium beer, swore off parlays for a week, and ended up dating a cheerleader's aunt who turned out to be allergic to fun (and apparently to guys who drink domestic light).   Then the Citrus Bowl era in Orlando—shade? Only if you smuggled in your own umbrella tree. Caught a few there in the 90s; bands had more room than fans, cheerleaders performing in phone booths. Parking was a circus; I once circled an hour, missed kickoff, and blamed a "mysterious traffic hex" on the guy who sold me that overpriced beer. But the grass? Pristine, Mother Nature's welcome mat. Always preferred over turf.Drive Pink? You nailed the parking apocalypse—first year, I parked so far I needed a Sherpa and compass (and finished my tailgate beer just to make the hike bearable). But shade on both sides? Luxury! Watched day games without turning into beef jerky. Concessions solid, bathrooms clean, and that grass field? Gold standard, every time.FIU? Gates playing hide-and-seek, lines longer than a CVS receipt—classic rookie-year chaos. But once in, not bad for a concrete jungle. Caught that LM-VB game; shade saved my hide. Bands and cheerleaders squeezed like afterthoughts—standard FHSAA oversight. And that worn-out turf? Zamboni treatment, you said it, Mike—looked like a bad toupee after a rain delay. I sat "away" side once in a blowout, just to dodge the homer horde. Felt like a spy nursing a beer and whispering cheers into my cup.Bottom line, Mike: Neutral sites are like blind dates—full of promise, usually end in regret and a long, lonely drive home (often with an empty cooler rattling in the backseat). FHSAA's tried 'em all, from Bryant's lush grass in Lakeland to Daytona's hog-wire prison vibes and Orlando's sweat lodge, and those attendance numbers prove folks stay home, flip on the TV, and save gas for therapy. Me? I'll keep showing up, absurd tales and a cold one in tow, 'cause nothing beats live football folly. Here's to Venice storming back next year—maybe they'll freshen the turf by then. Or not. Either way, crack open a cold one for me; this observer's staying neutral... and thirsty.

I saw today on social media the Rise Preparatory Academy owner complaining about a "certain private school in Miami" buying players to try and get back on top.  West Broward and West Boca are loaded with RPA players so this can't be coincidence.

TOP 150. To Qualify, teams must have played at least 182 games vs. Florida schools from 2000-2025 (26 years).  RANK SCHOOL Win PCT 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 0.910 2 Lakeland 0.882 3 Armwood (Seffner) 0.860 4 Bolles (Jacksonville) 0.839 5 Miami Central 0.835 6 St. Augustine  0.831 7 Madison County (Madison) 0.831 8 Naples 0.822 9 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)  0.801 10 Cocoa 0.790 11 Chaminade (Hollywood)  0.783 12 Mainland (Daytona Beach)  0.778 13 Jesuit (Tampa)  0.774 14 Vero Beach 0.771 15 Christopher Columbus (Miami) 0.769 16 American Heritage (Plantation) 0.766 17 Miami Northwestern 0.757 18 University School (Davie) 0.751 19 Apopka 0.748 20 Niceville 0.747 21 Wakulla (Crawfordville) 0.742 22 Lincoln (Tallahassee) 0.742 23 Venice 0.741 24 Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) 0.740 25 Glades Central (Belle Glade) 0.738 26 Clearwater Central Catholic 0.732 27 Washington (Miami) 0.731 28 Manatee (Bradenton) 0.725 29 Osceola (Kissimmee) 0.724 30 Atlantic (Delray Beach) 0.722 31 Plant (Tampa) 0.722 32 South Sumter (Bushnell) 0.716 33 Edgewater (Orlando)  0.712 34 Raines (Jacksonville) 0.712 35 Fort Meade  0.711 36 Blountstown 0.705 37 Lake Gibson (Lakeland) 0.705 38 First Academy (Orlando) 0.700 39 Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) 0.699 40 Bishop Moore (Orlando) 0.696 41 Lake Wales 0.694 42 Dr. Phillips (Orlando) 0.692 43 North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) 0.688 44 American Heritage (Delray Beach) 0.687 45 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 0.684 46 Lafayette (Mayo) 0.683 47 Fort Myers  0.682 48 Largo 0.682 49 Columbia (Lake City)  0.681 50 Victory Christian (Lakeland) 0.678 51 Lakeland Christian 0.677 52 Dunnellon 0.677 53 Hillsborough (Tampa) 0.676 54 Pahokee 0.676 55 Palm Bay (Melbourne) 0.667 56 Jefferson (Tampa) 0.666 57 Winter Park 0.663 58 Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) 0.662 59 King’s Academy (West Palm Beach) 0.661 60 Merritt Island  0.660 61 Hawthorne 0.660 62 Charlotte (Punta Gorda)  0.659 63 Port St. Joe 0.654 64 Godby (Tallahassee)  0.653 65 Berkeley Prep (Tampa) 0.652 66 Zephyrhills  0.651 67 Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) 0.650 68 Florida High "FSU" (Tallahassee) 0.649 69 Pace 0.649 70 South Dade (Homestead) 0.648 71 Oviedo 0.646 72 University Christian (Jacksonville) 0.645 73 Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 0.645 74 Baker 0.641 75 Plantation  0.639 76 Dunbar (Fort Myers) 0.639 77 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 0.639 78 North Marion (Citra) 0.638 79 Hardee (Wauchula) 0.637 80 Miramar 0.636 81 Bartram Trail (St. Johns) 0.635 82 South Fort Myers 0.634 83 Jupiter Christian 0.634 84 Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest) 0.632 85 Lake Mary 0.632 86 Pine Forest (Pensacola) 0.631 87 Boone (Orlando)  0.630 88 Fleming Island (Orange Park) 0.629 89 Cypress Bay (Weston) 0.626 90 Glades Day (Belle Glade) 0.624 91 Mitchell (New Port Richey) 0.622 92 Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs) 0.622 93 Tampa Bay Tech 0.621 94 Dixie County (Cross City) 0.621 95 Rockledge  0.621 96 Deerfield Beach 0.620 97 Immokalee 0.620 98 East Lake (Tarpon Springs) 0.619 99 Monsignor Pace (Miami) 0.619 100 Seminole (Sanford) 0.619 101 Palm Beach Gardens  0.618 102 Miami Southridge  0.616 103 Vanguard (Ocala) 0.615 104 Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) 0.614 105 Park Vista (Lake Worth) 0.613 106 Palmetto 0.613 107 Land O’Lakes  0.613 108 Bradford (Starke)  0.612 109 Countryside (Clearwater)  0.612 110 Pensacola Catholic 0.611 111 Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach) 0.610 112 Miami Norland 0.609 113 Belen Jesuit (Miami) 0.609 114 Buchholz (Gainesville) 0.608 115 Ely (Pompano Beach) 0.604 116 Ponte Vedra 0.603 117 Springstead (Spring Hill) 0.602 118 The Villages 0.601 119 Lakewood (St. Petersburg) 0.599 120 Union County (Lake Butler) 0.598 121 Winter Haven  0.597 122 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) 0.596 123 Miami Carol City 0.594 124 Boca Raton 0.594 125 First Coast (Jacksonville)  0.593 126 Jones (Orlando) 0.592 127 Miami Palmetto 0.590 128 Riverview (Sarasota) 0.589 129 Gaither (Tampa)  0.588 130 Foundation Academy (Winter Garden) 0.587 131 Palm Beach Central (Wellington) 0.585 132 Navarre  0.584 133 Miami Killian 0.583 134 Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens) 0.583 135 Durant (Plant City)  0.583 136 Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota) 0.582 137 Holy Trinity (Melbourne) 0.579 138 Melbourne Central Catholic  0.574 139 Escambia (Pensacola) 0.570 140 Ed White (Jacksonville) 0.570 141 Coral Gables 0.569 142 Clay (Green Cove Springs) 0.569 143 John Carroll (Fort Pierce) 0.567 144 Timber Creek (Orlando) 0.566 145 Astronaut (Titusville) 0.562 146 Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) 0.561 147 Bishop Verot (Fort Myers) 0.560 148 Cambridge (Tampa) 0.560 149 St. Stephen's (Bradenton) 0.560